Camille du Gast

Camille du Gast (Marie Marthe Camille Desinge du Gast, Camille Crespin du Gast, 30 May 1868 – 24 April 1942) was one of a trio of pioneering French female motoring celebrities of the Belle Epoque, together with Hélène de Rothschild (Baroness Hélène van Zuylen) and Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart the (Duchess of Uzès).
Du Gast was known as "one of the richest and most accomplished widows in France," and as an accomplished sportswoman—a balloonist, parachute jumper, fencer, tobogganist, skier, rifle and pistol shot, horse trainer—as well as a concert pianist and singer. She was the second woman to compete in an international motor race.
In France, she later became renowned for her extensive charity work. She was president of the Société protectrice des animaux (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, SPA) until her death, and her campaign against bullfighting included disruptive direct action protests. She provided health-care to disadvantaged women and children in Paris, and continued whilst under German occupation in World War II.
She was the central figure in the Parisian scandal of La Femme au Masque where she was maliciously but mistakenly named as the nude model in a notorious painting by Henri Gervex. This salacious story involved three court cases, and was reported around the world.
Her exuberant social and sporting lifestyle was changed by a traumatic experience around 1910, when her daughter attempted to have her murdered in order to inherit. In the middle of the night, in her own house, she challenged the gang and they fled. Afterwards she devoted herself to French government work in Morocco, and charitable works with animals, disadvantaged women and orphans.
A pioneer feminist, she served as vice-president of the Ligue Française du Droit des Femmes (The French League for the Rights of Women) after World War I. In 1904 she became the only woman official of the Automobile Club de France (A.C.F.).
She was known in the press by the sobriquets l'Amazone and la Walkyrie de la Mécanique (Valkyrie of the motor car).
Personal life
Marie Marthe Camille Desinge du Gast was born in Paris in 1868. A 'garçon manqué' (tomboy) she was the youngest amongst her siblings, having a sister plus a brother who was twelve years older.
Known as Camille du Gast she married Jules Crespin in 1890, he was the manager and majority shareholder of Dufayel, one of the largest department stores in France. It had evolved from Le Palais de la Nouveauté which his father Jacques Crespin had founded in 1856 in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, but by 1890 Georges Dufayel had taken over ownership of the store and changed its name to Dufayel. Jules Crespin died young (circa 1896/7, 'when she was 27') leaving her a very wealthy widow with a young daughter. This further stimulated her to participate in sporting activities. Some sources report that she had originally started competitive ballooning and parachuting activities under her maiden name, du Gast, at her husband's behest in order to avoid them being mistaken for publicity stunts.
She was an accomplished athlete, fencer, tobogganist, skier, rifle and pistol shot, horse trainer and concert pianist. Gordon Bennett described her as "the greatest sportswoman of all time".
After her husband's death she began to travel extensively, including crossing Morocco on horseback. She was active on the Parisian social scene, being known as "one of the richest and most accomplished widows in France".
Character
Her quixotic character, pugnacity, ambition and daring meant that she was both admired and detested in equal measure. She developed her political connections whilst rubbing shoulders with political leaders and personalities.
Attempted murder
Around 1910 her daughter attempted to have her murdered in her home in the middle of the night. Jean François Bouzanquet wrote in his book Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888 to 1970 :
Death and commemoration
She is buried in the Crespin family tomb at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. The sepulchre in the 36th section of the cemetery is adorned with a bust of the founder Jacques Crespin, and decorative statuary by sculptors Jules Dalou, Alexandre Falguière and Étienne Leroux (1836–1906).
In 1929 she was honoured when the government named the rue Crespin du Gast in the Paris district of Ménilmontant, a name that is still preserved today. Her international fame was highlighted when, on 27 December 1929 the Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times of Roundup and Winnett, Montana reported -
She is also commemorated by the technical school 'Lycée professionnel des métiers de l'automobile Camille du Gast' at Chalon-sur-Saône
La Femme au Masque
La Femme au Masque affair involved Madame du Gast in three discrete court cases in Paris in 1902, with its salacious and colourful detail being reported worldwide. In 1885 Henri Gervex painted La Femme au Masque (The Masked Model), a notorious picture of his 22-year-old model Marie Renard standing naked apart from a Domino mask concealing her face. Her identity was never publicly revealed, causing great speculation and many accusations over time.
In 1902, during hostile family legal proceedings Maître Barboux, the barrister representing her father and brother, accused du Gast of having posed for the picture, and he handed a photograph around the court. She retaliated by bringing a legal action against Barboux, but even though both Henri Gervex and Marie Renard appeared for her, she lost, possibly because Barboux's character assassination was considered 'normal practice' in France. After Barboux left the court he was confronted by M. de Marcilly and Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord, the Prince de Sagan, her close friend, admirer and suitor, who punched him in the face (or gave him two slaps) and called him 'an insulter'. In September 1902 both of the men who had championed du Gast in this fashion were prosecuted at the 'Palais de Justice', the Prince was fined 500 francs and de Marcilly 100 francs. The ongoing scandal was newsworthy around the world, being reported in detail in New Zealand and Australia, the West Gippsland Gazette waxing lyrical about her exotic appearance, demeanour, achievements and intellect.
Ballooning and parachuting
Madame du Gast and her husband were enthusiastic hot air balloonists, and she flew with the semi-professional pilot Louis Capazza. In 1895 she jumped from a hot air balloon at an elevation of using a parachute. The balloon was one of two used to publicise her husband's department store, Dufayel, at fêtes and public events, but he insisted that she use her maiden name, du Gast, to avoid her endeavour appearing as a publicity stunt.
Motoring
Du Gast was enthused by watching the start of the 1900 Gordon Bennett Cup race from Paris to Lyon. By 1901 she owned both a Peugeot and a Panhard et Levassor motor-car, stimulating her interest in driving and racing. She is reported as one of the first women, after the Duchess of Uzès, to obtain a driving license. Such was her drive and pugnacity and daring, she managed to become the only woman official of the Automobile Club de France (A.C.F.) on 1 December 1904.(Source: Official Journal of the A.C.F)
1901 Paris–Berlin
In 1901 du Gast and Baroness Hélène van Zuylen, wife of the President of the Automobile Club de France (A.C.F.), were the only two woman entrants in the Paris–Berlin race. The baroness Zuylen had already competed in the 1898 Paris–Amsterdam–Paris, so du Gast became the second woman to take part in an international motor race. Du Gast was accompanied by Hélie de Talleyrand-Périgord, the Prince du Sagan as her riding mechanic. The race was run in three legs – 27 June Paris–Aachen ; 28 June Aachen-Hanover ; 29 June Hanover-Berlin . Her 20 hp Panhard was under-powered and not designed for racing, hence she started last of 122 entrants but she finished 33rd overall in a total time of 25 hours 30 minutes 23 seconds (19th in the 'Heavy class'), and determined to do better next time. The Baroness Hélène Zuylen stopped with technical problems on the first day, so du Gast received the plaudits for her successful finish.
1902
In 1902 du Gast competed in the Paris to Vienna race. She also applied to enter the New York to San Francisco race but was refused by the governing body because she was a woman. Other racing activities were precluded when she took an extended cruise.
1903 Paris–Madrid
For the 1903 Paris–Madrid race du Gast was engaged by Adrien de Turckheim to drive one of his works 5.7-litre 30 hp De Dietrichs. Although she was popular with the French public, the hostility to female drivers was exemplified by the comment about her in The Autocar: "The gallant Frenchmen applauded and raised their hats, but for ourselves we must confess to a feeling of doubt as to whether fierce long-distance racing is quite the thing for ladies."
The Race of Death involved fatal accidents for two drivers plus six or more spectators (the total number of fatalities has never been recorded) such that it was stopped at Bordeaux by the French government and the vehicles towed by horses to the railway station. Du Gast started in 29th position and gained 9 places in the first . She had risen to 8th before she stopped near Libourne just outside Bordeaux to give first aid to her fellow De Dietrich driver, Englishman Phil Stead, who was trapped under his car when it rolled into a ditch. She nursed him until an ambulance arrived and was credited by doctors with probably saving his life. She restarted and reached Bordeaux in 77th place when the race was stopped.
1904
In 1904 the Benz factory team offered du Gast a race seat for the Gordon Bennett Cup because of her performance in the 1903 Paris–Madrid, but by then the French government had barred women from competing in motorsport, citing 'feminine nervousness'.
In April 1904 her protest letter was published in L'Auto, but to no avail as it was not her skill that was in doubt, instead it was the worsening political attitude to road racing resulting from the Paris–Madrid Race of Death.
1905
In July 1905 Madame du Gast competed at the inaugural Brighton Speed Trials where she drove a 35 hp car in the handicap event but lost to Dorothy Levitt who drove her 80 hp Napier to set the Ladies World Speed record.
Motor-boating
The 1904 French government ban on women in motor racing forced du Gast to take up motor-boat racing. The launch industry in France was hardly more than five years old, but it had become the new vogue sport, growing at speed that rivalled that of motoring in the 1890s. The poor image caused by the Paris–Madrid event in 1903 meant that the events scheduled in the nautical calendar [for 1905] exceed in number and importance those planned for the road, and they are attracting quite as much public attention.
In September 1904 du Gast piloted the Darracq powered Marsoin on the river Seine at Juvisy-sur-Orge, on the outskirts of Paris. According to the press report she carried it off with some gallantry, attracting attention for her elegant hat, gloves, veil and full length coat.
In May 1905 The Rudder reported that :
The first event of the season, the Monaco meeting, from 2 to 16 April, ... is without precedent [for quantity of entrants] in yachting history; beginning with an exhibition of all types of motor-boats, lasting four days, after which three days afloat were allowed for preparations, the races began on 9 April and continued for the following week.
Du Gast competed in her boat La Turquoise, a 'Tellier fils & Gérard' hull fitted with a 6-cylinder Panhard motor of 150 horse-power. She entered the 100 kilometres race for racers in the eight to 12 metres classes but 'did not finish'. The event was won by S. F. Edge in his Napier II in 1 hour 5 minutes. Edge also finished second in Napier 1 as it was common practice to describe the owner and entrant as the driver, even if he did not take the wheel.
Algiers to Toulon
In May she competed in the trans-Mediterranean race from Algiers to Toulon, having commissioned the steel-hulled Camille specifically for the event and fitted a 90 horse power Charron, Girardot et Voigt (C.G.V.) engine. A violent storm during the second stage from Port Mahon, Menorca, to Toulon, put all seven boats out of action and sank six of them including the Camille. Two months later du Gast was eventually declared the winner, having come closest to finishing before sinking.
The Algiers-Toulon race was organized by the Paris newspaper Le Matin, sponsored by Mercedes Paris and supported by the French Minister of Marine who provided both a prize and 'torpedo destroyers' to accompany each of the seven competitors. This encouraged the construction of especially heavy racing boats adapted for the open sea – from to feet in length, and 35–200 horse-power. The Camille had a steel hull, a 90 horse power Charron, Girardot et Voigt (C.G.V.) engine, and was built by the Pitre Company in Paris.
The fleet departed Algiers at 6 am on 7 May, firstly the Quand-Même, then at short intervals the Mercedes C. P., the Mercedes-Mercedes, the Fiat, the Camille, the Malgré Tout, and the Héraclès II accompanied by the naval ships Kléber and Desaix. The Fiat took 12 hours to reach Port Mahon on Menorca, 195 nautical miles, while the Camille arrived second at 10 pm, taking 16 hours for the trip.
Preparations were then made to leave Mahon on the second leg, but bad weather forced them to remain in the port until 13 May. They set off at 4 a.m. but the sea became rougher and after only 45 minutes the Fiat was hauled aboard the battle ship La Hire. Later the Mercedes C. P., the Héraclès II, the Malgré Tout, and the Mercedes-Mercedes each abandoned and were taken in tow. At 10 a.m. the breeze stiffened, but the Camille and the Quand-Même were still making good headway. At 5 pm the Camille had to be taken in tow by the battleship Kléber but broke away, thus du Gast and the crew had to be rescued before she sank. All boats apart from the Fiat were taken in tow, swamped and sank . Two months later, after much official wrangling, du Gast was declared the winner, having come closest to finishing before sinking.
The New York Times on 21 May reported that: "Mme. Du Gast ... has sent 10,000f to the sailor who jumped into the sea from the cruiser Kléber and rescued her during the storm that scattered the racing boats."
Travel and government work
After her husband's death she began to travel extensively. In September 1906 she decided to explore Morocco on horseback. She documented this experience in her article Ce que m'a dit le Rogui, (What the Rogui said to me.) published in Je sais tout in 1909. She described her unconventional modes of travel, alone in dangerous areas, and stated that she
"adventured alone to Morocco, that country infested with brigands, [and] full of dangers for Europeans and especially for the French."
In both 1910 and 1912 she was commissioned by the French government to visit Morocco, firstly on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and latterly on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture. Laura Godsoe observed in her study Exploring their Boundaries: Gender and Citizenship in Women's Travel Writing, 1880–1914 that du Gast worked with local women handing out medicines and candy in the tiniest hamlets. She endeavoured to help the French government gain influence and demonstrate the benefits of French rule. She noted that 'after eleven months of travel she felt she had improved the image of France, the key to this task being; "a nice horse, a calm demeanor, authority and generosity."
Du Gast attended the Algeciras Conference of 1906, whence the women's journal La Vie heureuse (Femina) noted that "It is not useless to hope that there, where the diplomats have not been able to succeed, the diplomacy of a woman might be able to."
Publishing
du Gast published several articles about her sporting achievements, including:
A deux doigts de la mort (On the Brink of Death), in the journal Je sais tout of 15 February 1905 described the disastrous motor-boat race from Algiers to Toulon where she capsized (or sank) but was declared the winner.
Ce que m'a dit le Rogui (What the Rogui said to me. (Rogui – a pretender to the throne of Morocco)), published in Je sais tout in 1909, chronicled her journey through Morocco on horseback.
She published several travel narratives in the women's journal La Vie heureuse (today known as Femina), where she regarded herself as an "exploratrice".
She wrote the preface to Gustave Dumaine's 1933 book Contes pour mon Chien (Stories for my Dog).
Charity work
Madame du Gast was known in France for her extensive charity work.
Animal welfare
After the trauma of her attempted assassination by her daughter in 1910 she steadily became more devoted to animal welfare. She worked at the Paris refuge for stray and injured dogs that was founded in 1903 by Gordon Bennett. She served as president of the 'French Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (SPA) from 1910 until her death in 1942. In 1927 she used her own funds to modernize and enlarge the animal shelter at Gennevilliers.
She campaigned against bullfighting, which was illegal but 'administratively tolerated' in France. The campaigning included organising a mass protest at Place de la Concorde in Paris, and on 29 May 1930 she organised a demonstration in Melun against a bullfight that had been organised as a 'fund raiser' for local schools. After the paseo, the formal entrance march of bullfighters into the arena, Du Gast gave the signal for thirty young people, including two girls, to jump into the arena blowing whistles. They were followed by 400 demonstrators and smoke bombs. The police were called to evacuate the arena.
Women's welfare
Du Gast also worked with disadvantaged women and children, establishing centers for orphans and impoverished women. She continued to provide health-care to disadvantaged women and children in German-occupied Paris, until her death in 1942.
Feminism
Madame du Gast was a feminist concerned with advancing the rights and emancipation of women, a frequent traveler, and a devoted Republican. She became vice-president of the Ligue Française du Droit des Femmes (The French League for the Rights of Women) after World War I. Her pre-eminence and The Role of Sports in the feminist victory is discussed in the book Cinquante-ans de féminisme : 1870–1920 published by the French League for Women's rights in 1921.
Notes
References
Other sources
Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation – Biography by Hilary Resteck and Casey Schuster, Indiana University/Purdue University Public History Department.
Bouzanquet, Jean-Francois. Fast Ladies: Female Racing Drivers 1888–1970. Dorchester, England: Veloce Publishing, 2009.
"Camille du Gast." Historic Racing. 23 August 2009. http://www.historicracing.com/driversFemale.cfm?fullText=3048
L’Abeille De La Nouvelle-Orleans 30 Oct 1912: "Mme. Camille Du Gast to visit United States"
Jarrott, Charles. Ten Years of Motors and Motor Racing: 1896–1906.
Je Sais Tout: Magazine encyclopedique illustre articles written by Camille du Gast
15 Feb 1906 "A deux doigts de la Mort (On the Brink of Death)"
1909: "Ceque ma dit le Rogue (What I have Learned)"
New York Times
27 June 1901: "Automobile Race To-Day"
25 May 1903: "Six Persons Killed in Automobile Race"
May 15, 1905: "Autoboats Swamped; Duc Decazes Missing; Disaster Overtakes the Racers from Algiers to Toulon – Six of Seven Crews Safe – Duke's Boat and Her Escort, a Destroyer, May Be Lost – Mme, du Gast Rescued
Feb. 2, 1912: "Woman to Explore Morocco: France Commissions Mme. Dugast to Investigate Conditions"
July 30, 1927: "Enlarges Paris Dog House: Mme. du Gast Carries on Work of James Gordon Bennet"
April 29, 1942: Obituary – Mme. Crespin du Gast; Head of French Humane Society Early Flier and Racing Driver
Proceedings of the Western Society for French History – Exploring their Boundaries: Gender and Citizenship in Women's Travel Writing, 1880–1914. Laura Godsoe. York University, Volume 37, 2009
Du Gast became vice-president of the Ligue Française du Droit des Femmes (The French League for the Rights of Women) after World War I.
Camille du Gast, "Mme Du Gast au Maroc," Femina (1 April 1906): 162; "Pourquoi je suis allée au Maroc," Femina (1 September 1907): 384.
On her racing career, see Alexandre Buisseret, "Les femmes et l'automobile à la Belle Époque," Le Mouvement Social, no. 192 (juillet–septembre 2000): 41–64.
Université Paris X Nanterre, Les Femmes et L'Automobile a la Belle Epoque 1898–1922) – A partir de l’hebdomadaire La Vie au Grand Air. Présenté par Céline CAUVIN Sous la direction de Mr Jean-Pierre Blay
A deux doigts de la Mort (Revue Je sais tout, 15 février 1905, (or 1906) p. 599. Source Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Ce que m'a dit le Rogui (Revue Je sais tout, 15 février 1905, (or 1909) p. 295 Source Gallica, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
National Library of Australia, Trove digital archive. West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 – 1930) Tuesday 16 September 1902. The Mask Mystery – A Paris Sensation
National Library of Australia, Trove digital archive. West Gippsland Gazette (Warragul, Vic. : 1898 – 1930) Tuesday 23 September 1902. The Masked Woman, Another Phase
Papers Past National Library of New Zealand. Auckland Star, Rōrahi XXXIII, Putanga 224, 20 Mahuru 1902, La Femme Au Masque – Another Phase
Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF, Archive of La Vie Illustrée for July 25 1902 – Court report in French
Hydroplane History – History of 1905 Algiers to Toulon race
La dernière Amazone : Biographie romancée de Camille Crespin du Gast (1868–1942) (Broché) by Elisabeth Jaeger Wolff
The Last Amazon : Fictionalised Biography of Camille Crespin du Gast (1868–1942) (Paperback) by Elisabeth Jaeger Wolff
External links
Flickr – Famille Crespin at Pere Lachaise
Review of The Great Automobile Aficionados
Pastiche of The Last Amazone – Biographie romancee de Camille Crespin du Gast (1868–1942)
Camille dans la course Alger – Toulon. Périlleux sauvetage de Madame du Gast par les vaillants marins du Kléber
Project Gutenberg – L'Illustration, No. 3247, 20 Mai 1905, by Various. La Course de Canots Automobiles Interrompue Par La Tempête. Courier de Paris. Journal D'une Étrangère
Portrait of Camille du Gast from the French Museum Collection (RMN)
Dimanche 8 janvier 2012 Madame Du Gast Présidente de la SPA de1910 à 1942
Google books, Catalog of Copyright Entries. New Series: 1933, Part 1 By Library of Congress. Copyright Office, United States. Dept. of the Treasury
The Masked model, La Femme au masque, by Henri Gervex – page 167 in Master Paintings of the World, Edited by Dupont Vicars, The White City Art Co., Chicago, 1902, 12 chapters, 192 pages
Alger-Toulon La Course de canots automobiles Alger-Toulon
Camille du Gast poses at the wheel of a 1903 Benz 60HP Parsifal Racingcar, accompanied by its young French designer Marius Barbaro
Historic Racing, 225 – Camille du Gast, the second woman to race at international level. Saturday, 24 April 2010
1868 births
1942 deaths
French female racing drivers
French racing drivers
French feminists
French automotive pioneers
Aviation pioneers
French aviators
Sportspeople from Paris
French mountain climbers
French female bobsledders
French female sport shooters
French female fencers
French balloonists
French people of World War I
French horse trainers
Musicians from Paris
French women aviators
20th-century French women
Belle Époque
Racing drivers from Paris